A Baker's Daughter

This is what happens when a devoted daughter revives her famous-baker-dad's recipes—and uncovers a hidden family history.

In this narrative cookbook, Marcy Brenner's devotion to her dad, Max, is evident from the first line to the last—but her journey of discovery goes back in time, to long before she tasted her first Chocolate Top Cookie.

We follow her journey, starting with a childhood of working holidays at Brenner's Bakery in Alexandria, Virginia, and culminating in teaching herself to bake like a pro in her own kitchen. To learn Max's secrets, she decoded his cryptic, commercial recipe cards. In so doing, uncovered an unexpected story—one of generations of bakers who both protected their past and used love as their primary ingredient.

Features fifty primary recipes, with variations, and a special "Notes" section on banking tips and tricks—including how-to's for bread starters. Plus, more than 100 four-color process photos, along with black-and-white illustrations of Max's favorites. The narrative pages include Brenner family photos, past and present.

Marcy is a musician, songwriter, author, and cancer advocate. She balances a need for solitude with her joy in sharing music and serving others; this book, A Baker’s Daughter, allowed her to serve her ancestors by telling a story they could not tell for themselves—along with celebrating her father. Her music audience, many of whom also were fans of the family bakery, have been thrilled to bring his recipes into their own homes.

A 2008 documentary film of Marcy's inspirational cancer-survival story, entitled Dead Girl Walking—made by Ray Schmitt of Real Earth Productions—won the Amazing Grace Award at Toronto’s BreastFest Film Festival, among other honors at various festivals and events.

Marcy has written, recorded, and published three original music CDs: Home To Me, Another Year Blooms, and My Live Oak.

Kristin (Marcy calls her Krissy) comes by her profession because she fledged from a family tree populated by writers, from both branches of the maternal line.

She has spent her career as a freelance writer, authoring or coauthoring several books—including Rex Appeal, the source material for the 2014 Emmy^®-winning documentary Dinosaur 13, a film she assisted during production. She also owns an independent publishing company called Rockin' Dog Studio, and writes, researches, and/or edits for other authors, as well as for television, film, and giant-screen projects. She adores Chocolate Top Cookies.